Question: Can't we use telescope, microscope and x-ray technology to look better inside a person to see what is wrong inside with cancer?

Kate Elliott answered on 11 Nov 2016:

Yes! We use x-rays to do that all the time. CT scans use x-rays to make 3D pictures of the patient showing their insides so we can see what is there.

If cancer is found a bit is cut out and it will be looked at with a microscope and tested so we know what type of cancer it is and can treat it more easily.

Sometimes we can put little cameras on wires inside people as another way to see inside.

There are also different types of scans. MRI scans are very good at looking inside the patient and seeing the difference between soft tissues which sometimes look the same in a CT scan.

In nuclear medicine gamma cameras and PET scans can be used to test how the body is working. By injecting the patient with special radioactive stuff different bits of the body will light up so you can see how it is working.

Doctors will decide what scans etc patients need so that they get the best type of scan for what questions the doctor is trying to answer.